Hunting near deerlodge, mt?

[smokinbobf4]

Hi, I am new to the site but have a few questions about an upcoming elk hunt. First I am from the flat lands of Nd and this is my first elk hunt. Planning to go the first week of November with rifle. I have about 2 sq miles of private land to hunt that is bordered by public on two sides. It is easy of deerlodge about 15 miles or so. Spotted dog wma, Helena national forest, and deerlodge national forest are all very close and was just wondering 1- what typical weather is like that time of year, 2- if that area is over pressured, 3- if the hunting is any good for elk and/or mule deer? Just any general information about the area that would be helpful to a newby. Also is there any concern for bear around the area? Sorry for all of the questions I am just trying to get all the information I can. Thanks you

 

[buckarooboy]

Yes on bears. Black and Grizzlies.

 

[missjordan]

Hi, I am new to the site but have a few questions about an upcoming elk hunt. First I am from the flat lands of Nd and this is my first elk hunt. Planning to go the first week of November with rifle. I have about 2 sq miles of private land to hunt that is bordered by public on two sides. It is easy of deerlodge about 15 miles or so. Spotted dog wma, Helena national forest, and deerlodge national forest are all very close and was just wondering 1- what typical weather is like that time of year, 2- if that area is over pressured, 3- if the hunting is any good for elk and/or mule deer? Just any general information about the area that would be helpful to a newby. Also is there any concern for bear around the area? Sorry for all of the questions I am just trying to get all the information I can. Thanks you

1st week of November weather can be either really warm and sunny or there’s so much snow you can’t get anywhere without chains. The last couple years have been nice though.

The area is way over pressured because of the shoulder season being added to areas around where your going the last couple years. Now this year the shoulder cow tag can be bought OTC that’s only good on private land for most of those 200 districts surrounding the area. The elk dont really come out onto the private until the snow hits good (if it even does). Specifically 215 gets hit with a lot of horse hunters that go way back into the hills. Lots of driveable roads and lots too that are gated. You won’t be able to deer hunt either for Mulies unless you put in for the draw tags back in March. Whitetails should be around but I’ve never seen many except in the bottoms. Lots of bear both Griz and black bear. Just need to be aware of their presence and camp smart


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[smokinbobf4]

Thanks for the replies! Any info I can get is very helpful. I did put in for a mule deer so I am hoping I get it. Looks pretty easy to draw after looking at past results. I can’t wait to get boots on the ground but until then I will keep searching. Thanks again.

 

[crunchy]

I've put a lot of miles down out there. Saw lots of deer, elk sign but no elk. They must have moved down into the valley, and driving around that's were I saw them. This was in late November. I'm heading back this year for archery.. although I might change my mind.

 

[slowelk]

You don't need to worry about grizzly bears in that area. If bears are there, they are passing through, but I haven't even heard of a sighting in that range recently.

Pressure will likely be high, but for a lot of people that's part of the post-opening weekend lull, so it might not be bad. Skirting the edges of that private parcel you have access to could be key, but if that's not turning up any results, an ATV or dirt bike would be very useful getting up higher unless significant snow has hit. Bulls can be hard to come by, but cows can plentiful, so if you aren't picky, I'd go that route.

I'd like to reiterate that you won't have any problems with grizzly bears.

 

[ramont]

I live on the east side of the Spotted Dog WMA almost due east of Deer Lodge and I can give you a fair amount of info about the areas in the mountains east of the flat land you are talking about.

Most of the animals will start moving off the tops of the mountains when the snow gets to a foot or deeper, some will move toward the flats on the west side toward Deer Lodge and some will move toward Rimini on the east side. You can't really predict what the weather will be like in November, in 2016 we had no snow at all until the last weekend of the general rifle season, in 2017 it started snowing in September and it hasn't quit yet, I'm getting a light rain/snow mix as I type this. The snow has pretty much melted at the lower altitudes but at the top of the Spotted Dog you'll still need a snow machine to get around. My wife took a hike yesterday and had places where she sank to her hips in snow - and she was using snow shoes.

Crowding is sort relative in my opinion. I have a spot I love to go where I might see a half dozen people all season long but only 1 mile to the west you can see hunters lined up in the their pickups along the forest service road. Most people simply don't get out and walk any more and if there is a good spot with a road then you'll probably see lots of vehicles and lots of people illegally hunting from their vehicles. All you have to do is walk in a mile or two and you'll see animals, the further you can walk in the better. As for the hunting guides, well again, it depends on where you go. We had several that were guiding people to the top of the Spotted Dog in recent years but the forest service has pretty much reduced their numbers, and rightly so since quite a number of those guides were actually just fly-by-night outfits that weren't following usage rules; some were running continuous camps with semi-permanent setups for 5 or 6 months at a time, they were dominating the area and basically redirecting other hunters away from what was actually open public land.

The valleys on the east side of the Spotted Dog area aren't very good for elk or deer most any time but when the snow starts to fall there just aren't enough animals to produce much of a success rate. They are there but you have to know the area well and hunt hard. The game managers feel that hunt area 215 is overpopulated for elk and deer and they may be right but I'd bet that most of the overpopulation is spending their time on private land because you don't really see that many animals on the public land. My money would be on the west side of the mountains for mule deer, I had a guy that I helped a little last year get a very nice buck and he was just down in the foothills to the east of Deer Lodge. The buck was sitting on a knoll looking over some low land with lots of grass and widely spaced trees, he had to make a sneak and he took a 300 yard shot because he just couldn't get any closer. The elk are a different story, you'll find them pretty much anywhere as long as there is water, food, and security. I've had the most luck with south facing slopes with grass first thing in the morning and then as the day goes along the elk will move toward a high spot that is in the trees with easy access to water and grass. They'll spend the day laying in the trees chewing their cud and then every few hours they'll walk over to the nearest grass and eat and then lay down and chew again, just think of them like really good looking cows with antlers instead of horns. You'll find that most cows and calves will be in half dozen to a dozen sized groups while bulls will be in groups of no more than 3 or 4 or by themselves.

I'd suggest working on the northern end of the mountain range just below highway 12 sticking to the west side of the mountains. Don't bother with going any farther than a line straight south out of Avon. You can access that area with county and forest service roads. I'm not saying that the Spotted Dog area is not good, it actually is, but it's harder to hunt and it'll take a lot more time to scout it out and find your way around it. Remember to bring some kind of map that shows local private lands, it's illegal to hunt on private property without permission, you can't even cross private land without permission and if you get caught you can loose your hunting privileges in the state and be fined. Also remember that hunt area 215 has a brow tine requirement for the bulls meaning that you can't shoot a bull unless it has at least one brow tine that is at least 4 inches long.

 

[ramont]

As for bears, you will find black bears in the mountains from time to time but they aren't very common. We did find grizzly tracks along the Telegraph Creek area last year (along forest service road 495) and they did remove several grizzly bears around Avon last year so yes, they are around but not in big numbers.

 

[smokinbobf4]

Thanks again for the replies! This is all good info. I am very excited to get of the flat land for a week and explore. I have been trying to do a lot of scouting on google earth and onX maps but I’m sure it will be alittle different when I get there. Is there anyway to know what roads can be traveled and which ones can’t? I’m trying to find good places away from roads but my guess is the only way to tell is go there and also what the weather brings.

 

[goodgrouper]

Awfully kind of ramont to offer up that much info, that's not something that happens every day! I hunted the more remote areas of 215 on horses for 15 years but I think there are almost as many backcountry hunters as there are road hunters on the spotted dog anymore. Two years ago most of the meadows I used to kill bulls in all had camps in them. A forest service map should tell you when the roads are open or closed and it's good advice to search for areas that have pockets of cover out of sight of the roads. Most people wont get out and walk a mile or two to check. The elk will be hold up tight after the opening week maylay.

 

[smokinbobf4]

Thanks again! I am really trying to find those places that people won’t travel from maps but I suppose you just don’t know until you get there.

 

[5PointCurse]

Smokinbob did you have any luck in this area? Looking to archery hunt around Telegraph Cr and Blackfoot meadows. Curious to know what the area was like?

 

[hobbes]

I can tell you this much, archery pressure has been on a steady incline and elk sightings in the region on a steady decline. I don't concentrate all my efforts there, but have spent some time in there. It's on a fast track to being an area that I used to hunt.

 

[mossyhorn]

Hunted archery there this year. tried east of Deerlodge and the west side above the prison. Only elk we saw was about 600 head on the ranches west of Deerlodge. Pretty disappointing.

 

[137buck]

I live in Deer Lodge and hunt elsewhere, and the main reason is, the shoulder hunt has brought a ton of people into the area and the amount of elk I normally see on public land, has dramatically decreased. Now I can drive around and find elk, but they are almost entirely on private land that do not allow hunting. I don't want to sound all negative, but it's the reality of hunting this area, it use to be a great area, but with more and more people hunting bow and especially rifle, the elk move to spots they know they're safe.

 

[Flatgo]

The shoulder seriously screwed this area up the last few years elk counts are half of what the were 5 years ago in some areas. Hunting pressure is also way up seems to be a common thread in Montana Fwp sees there elk in an area and decides it would be a good idea to kill them all...

 

[5PointCurse]

Have you guys hunted around park lake area at all? Curious about that as well.

 

[BRoering73]

Long shot here, but I don't suppose Ramont would happen to be willing to give up some info on the snowfall in the area up to this point this fall? Archery hunted the area for 2 weeks in september without being able to notch my tag. I'll be back out next week to hopefully fill the freezer. Any info on the snow situation would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Carl]

Long shot here, but I don't suppose Ramont would happen to be willing to give up some info on the snowfall in the area up to this point this fall? Archery hunted the area for 2 weeks in september without being able to notch my tag. I'll be back out next week to hopefully fill the freezer. Any info on the snow situation would be greatly appreciated!

We had a cold and snowy first couple weeks, then pretty nice weather for the remainder. I was in spotted dog two Saturdays ago, and it was pretty much bare, maybe a few inches up high. It hit 60 in helena on Saturday. Now its about 50 and raining. Kind of a bummer weather wise, because season ends late this year too.

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[BRoering73]

We had a cold and snowy first couple weeks, then pretty nice weather for the remainder. I was in spotted dog two Saturdays ago, and it was pretty much bare, maybe a few inches up high. It hit 60 in helena on Saturday. Now its about 50 and raining. Kind of a bummer weather wise, because season ends late this year too.

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I appreciate the reply Carl! That helps alot. Safe to say it was looking grim in there elk wise I assume if there hasn't been much for snow yet?